


Symmetry

by Patricia_Sage



Series: Dragon Dads [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ambassador Sokka (Avatar), Angry Zuko (Avatar), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Badass Katara (Avatar), Badass Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Dragon Dad Sokka (Avatar), Dragon Dad Zuko (Avatar), Dragons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fire Lord Zuko (Avatar), Gaang (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Kidnapping, M/M, Marriage, Married Couple, Minor Aang/Katara, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Revenge, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25603333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patricia_Sage/pseuds/Patricia_Sage
Summary: It had been a long time since Aang had seen Zuko this angry.Ten years as Fire Lord had tempered his volatile tendencies. Away from the influence of his abusive father, at peace with his own morality, and surrounded by people who loved him, Zuko turned violence into passion. With the help of his husband, the Ambassador of the Water Tribe and expert tactician, Zuko thought things through and had a newfound strength in diplomacy. He was gentle and caring, and he would do anything for his friends and for his people.But seeing him now – his hair long and wild, his clenched fists smoking – Aang was reminded of the teenage Zuko who rampaged his way into their lives."They took Druk."
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Druk & Aang (Avatar), Druk & Katara (Avatar), Druk & Sokka (Avatar), Druk & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Dragon Dads [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841899
Comments: 55
Kudos: 1056





	1. reaction

**Author's Note:**

> oh hi it's another story involving Zukka's favourite dragon son and Fire Lord Zuko absolutely losing it
> 
> I love to write it and I hope you love to read it.

It had been a long time since Aang had seen Zuko this angry.

Ten years as Fire Lord had tempered his volatile tendencies. Away from the influence of his abusive father, at peace with his own morality, and surrounded by people who loved him, Zuko turned violence into passion. With the help of his husband, the Ambassador of the Water Tribe and expert tactician, Zuko thought things through and had a newfound strength in diplomacy. He was gentle and caring, and he would do anything for his friends and for his people.

But seeing him now – his hair long and wild, his clenched fists smoking – Aang was reminded of the teenage Zuko who rampaged his way into their lives. 

“Aang! Where’s your bison?” Aang frowned. With Zuko’s tone of voice, he may as well have spitefully called him _Avatar_.

“What’s going on?” Aang asked. Zuko and Sokka had left hours ago for a meeting in a neighbouring village. They were back at the Fire Nation palace way too early, and both of them were injured. Sokka had a bruise on his temple and was limping slightly. Zuko had dried blood running down the scarred side of his face. “Are you okay?” Aang turned away and leaned out the window until he saw his wife walking in the gardens. “Katara!”

Before he could ask any more questions, Aang felt a hand grab the collar of his robes. Stunned, he allowed Zuko to pull him down so they were nose-to-nose. “Where’s Appa?” the Fire Lord growled.

Sokka spoke up before Aang could reply, his voice low and sharp. “Zuko!”

Zuko roughly released Aang and turned to face his husband. Sokka’s eyebrows were furrowed but his blue eyes were gentle. He approached Zuko and placed his large hands on the Fire Lord’s shoulders. “Hey,” he said softly. Aang felt like he was intruding on a personal moment. “I know you’re scared.”

“I’m not –” Zuko snarled, but Sokka interrupted.

“You are. And it’s okay.” Sokka carefully tucked a strand of hair behind his husband’s ear. “We’re going to work together and we’re going to find him. We’ll get him back.” Zuko’s shoulders crumbled and he leaned forward slightly until his forehead was pressed against soft, blue fabric. Sokka held his husband to his chest with a steady hand in the centre of his back. He touched his stubbled cheek to Zuko’s long hair.

Aang had a sinking feeling in his stomach. As much as he loved to see his friends taking care of each other, it was unusual for Sokka and Zuko to show such affection in front of others. Something was wrong.

And why would Zuko need Appa when he already had –

The door slammed open. “What happened?” Katara demanded. Aang ran up beside her as she approached her brothers. Zuko and Sokka separated. When Zuko looked up, his golden eyes were blazing with anger and…panic.

“They took Druk.”

Aang gasped. “What? Who did?”

Katara stepped forward, wielding an orb of water from her pouch. Sokka explained as his sister healed the bruise on his face. “We don’t know for sure. Zuko’s been receiving a lot of death threats recently, so it’s likely connected to that. Some sort of underground resistance still clinging to Ozai’s bullshit ideals.” Katara moved down to heal Sokka’s injured ankle. “We stopped to eat, and they ambushed us. They pinned Druk down with these huge metal nets. And they knocked us out before we could stop them.”

Katara walked over to Zuko, but he flinched away from the water. “I’m fine,” he muttered. Katara grabbed his wrist in response and quickly healed his head wound. She had always been a no-nonsense woman, but that had increased tenfold since she had become a mother. Handling Zuko was nothing compared to handling two-year-old Bumi.

When the Fire Lord was healed, she touched his shoulder in assurance. “Why didn’t they take you, too?”

It seemed now that he was no longer blazing with fury, Zuko couldn’t find it in him to speak. Sokka answered the question. “Thankfully, there was a group of earthbenders travelling nearby. They stepped in and protected us. But when we woke up, they told us Druk was gone.”

Zuko’s mouth twisted and he walked over to the window. His knuckles were white where they grasped the windowsill. Aang wanted to comfort him but didn’t want to invade. He moved to stand next to his friend in silence.

“So, what’s the plan?” Katara asked her brother.

“We don’t know where they took him, so we’ll get Appa to fly us to June. She was in Caldera early this week, so she’s likely staying on Shuhon Island. With the help of June and her shirshu we can track Druk down and get him back.”

“Okay. We’re coming with you.” Katara said.

Katara and Sokka left to get supplies. Aang moved to follow them but was stopped by a warm hand on his wrist. Zuko turned away from the window to face him. “I’m sorry, Aang.”

Aang shrugged. “It’s okay. You were upset.”

“Yes, but… I shouldn’t have yelled like that.”

“Zuko.” Aang chose his words carefully. “I know how you’re feeling right now. I really do. Ten years ago, in the desert, when those monsters stole Appa?” He took a steadying breath. “I’ve never felt so angry in my entire life.”

Zuko’s jaw was clenched. Aang recalled the heat of the sand and the fire swirling in his chest, the despair, the guilt. Zuko had raised Druk since he hatched six years ago. The love he had for the young dragon was powerful and pure. Aang knew this must be tearing him up inside.

Aang put his hand on top of Zuko’s. “Back then, it was you who freed Appa so he could come back to me. So, I’m going to help you get Druk.”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr: patriciasage
> 
> There are few things in this world that make me happier than reading a comment on my work. So, if you liked this, please don't hesitate to let me know! 
> 
> Next chapter: rescue


	2. rescue

As Druk got bigger, Zuko and Sokka would sometimes find a few red scales trapped in the bark in the palace gardens or lying on the ice in the South Pole. Sokka had taken to collecting them. A few years ago, he had even made a necklace, and he wore it during his and Zuko’s months apart. Sokka spent half of the year at the Southern Water Tribe and the other half in the Fire Nation, representing his people and supporting his husband. But now he wasn’t thinking about how cute Zuko looked bundled up in Water Tribe furs. All he could think about was Druk.

Sokka had first referred to Druk as their dragon son when the little guy was almost a year old. Sokka and Zuko had gotten together around the time that Druk had hatched, and they trained him together. It had been a joke at first. But Sokka soon came to realize that he did love the young dragon like he would a child, in a way, and he knew Zuko felt the same. Not knowing whether Druk was okay or not…it was a feeling Sokka would never forget.

June’s shirshu, Nyla, used the scent of Sokka’s red scale necklace to track the dragon. Sokka, Zuko, Katara, and Aang were following them in the air. It almost felt like old times with everyone (minus Toph) crowded into Appa’s saddle. But this was not a moment for reminiscing.

Ever since his outburst at Aang, Zuko had been concernedly quiet. When Sokka reached over and took his hand, he didn’t move away. However, he didn’t take his eyes off of Nyla’s progress below. He didn’t speak even when they reached their destination, dismounting and paying June without a word. 

The shirshu led them to a shack in the middle of a field. Now that Druk was fully grown, he was the size of a large ship, and there was no way those people could fit him in this building. But inside they found a hatch with steps descending deep underground. Zuko lit a flame in the palm of his hand and disappeared. Sokka followed with Katara and Aang close behind.

“What if this is a trap?” Sokka whispered when he caught up to his husband. The tunnel was just wide enough that the two of them could walk side-by-side.

“I don’t care,” Zuko replied flatly.

“I do!”

Zuko stopped walking, causing everyone else to stop as well. His golden eyes were flickering in the flame from his hand. The quivering shadows made the ridges of his scar more pronounced. “I’ll burn them to the ground.”

Sokka took a breath and unsheathed his sword. He grabbed Zuko’s free hand in his and kissed the back of it. “Okay. I’m with you.” Almost imperceptibly, Zuko’s shoulders relaxed.

They walked for a few minutes longer until the tunnel ended. Aang blew open a door with his airbending to reveal a large room lit by wall-mounted torches. There was a long crack of light on the ceiling that indicated a large hatch. Druk took up about a quarter of the room. Chains held his limbs down and his mouth shut. He was bleeding.

The dozen people in that room didn’t stand a chance.

Almost as if to compensate for Druk’s forced silence, Zuko let out a roar. Sokka was ready to charge in with his sword, but it wasn’t needed. Not even Aang or Katara got a hit in. Zuko decimated them all.

The rebels’ firebending was deflected with a flick of his wrist and Zuko leapt into a spinning kick. A huge wall of flame, bigger than Sokka had ever seen him create, emerged and overtook the room like a tidal wave. Druk, of course, was fireproof. The rebels were not.

Zuko ran toward Druk before his fire even dissipated. The other three stood there, stunned, for a few seconds. Sokka watched Aang’s expression change from horror to acceptance. He remembered years ago how the Avatar had shot down those desert thieves without a second thought.

When they approached him, Druk bared his teeth as best he could and let out a bit of smoke from his nostrils. He was scared but hiding it with aggression…just like Zuko. The Fire Lord himself was frozen, staring at the blood.

It looked like they had used blades on him. There were a few slashes on his legs, but the worst damage was on the right side of his face. They had sliced him across his eye. Zuko began to cry. Sokka felt his heart break.

Zuko lunged forward and pressed his forehead against Druk’s, doing his best to hold his large face. Druk recognized him and immediately relaxed. When Sokka joined them, holding Zuko with one arm and rubbing the dragon’s nose with the other, Druk began to grumble in the way he used to when he was small enough to climb into bed with them. He felt safe.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka noticed Aang take his space sword and cut the chains. However, when Katara approached the injured side of his face, Druk recoiled with a snarl. “It’s okay, Druk. It’s alright,” Zuko assured him. The dragon relaxed and allowed Katara to use her water to heal.

Sokka held his family close and prayed to Yue to protect them on their long walk back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are always very appreciated!!
> 
> next chapter: recovery


	3. recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final chapter! thanks for reading!

It took Druk a long time to learn how to fly again.

Katara’s healing could only do so much. Although the scar was smaller than it would have been, he had lost his sight in his right eye. This severely affected his coordination and depth perception. Druk could get in the air with no problems, but he had considerable difficulty avoiding obstacles and landing on smaller surface areas.

Zuko knew exactly how he felt. He, too, was blind in one eye. He remembered waking up on the ship after his banishment and re-learning how to fight and how to firebend. Suddenly losing one side of vision was jarring and incredibly frustrating. So, Zuko didn’t mind too much when Druk sometimes snapped at him. He understood.

Getting Druk to fly around the trees behind the palace over and over for days on end, Zuko gained a vast appreciation for his uncle. He wasn’t sure it was possible to love and respect Iroh more than he already did, but hindsight did the trick. When Druk growled at him in the morning before their flying practice, Zuko thought about how he would snap at Uncle for making him meditate. When Druk miscalculated a landing and sent both of them tumbling onto the grass, Zuko thought about how he had nearly singed off Uncle’s beard a few times.

And just as Iroh had patiently guided him through his recovery, Zuko did his best to channel his uncle’s kindness into his interactions with Druk.

“I’m so proud of you. Both of you.” Sokka said one night after flying practice. Zuko pressed his lips to his husband’s temple and considered, as he often did, how lucky he was to be living this life.

After a few months of training, Druk had fully adapted to his loss of eyesight. Zuko could fly with him to meetings again and not worry about the dragon crashing into any buildings. However, he always kept Druk as close as possible, and he never let down his guard.

“Good job, buddy,” Sokka said, giving Druk a kiss on the head before helping his husband down from the saddle. “Ba Sing Se is difficult for even me to get around…and I have two working eyes.”

“You did fantastic, Druk,” Zuko agreed, scratching the dragon on the feathery side of his head. Druk grumbled and preened a little. A few people passing by gaped at the Fire Lord, his husband, and their very large companion. But they didn’t look up until they heard a familiar voice.

“Fire Lord Zuko! Ambassador Sokka!” Iroh exited his tea shop with his arms outstretched. The smile on his face faltered a bit when he saw Druk. “Oh, my poor boy.”

Zuko and Sokka gave him some space to approach the dragon. Druk sniffed and caught the familiar scent of tea and smoke. He walked forward until his nose bumped into Iroh’s chest. The man scratched him under the chin, and Zuko overheard a few of his soft words. “You didn’t deserve this, sweet boy. But your fathers are taking good care of you, aren’t they? Look at you, flying all the way into Ba Sing Se.”

“Uncle?”

Iroh looked up and saw something vulnerable and fond in his nephew’s eyes. “What is it, Zuko?”

“I just…” Zuko walked up to the older man, not caring about any citizens watching. He wrapped his uncle in a hug. “Thank you for being so patient with me. When I was hurt.”

Iroh gently pushed him to arm’s length. “You see it’s not so easy now, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“But it’s worth it, isn’t it?”

Zuko nodded. Sokka put his hand on his husband’s shoulder.

“Druk will be fine. And, look –” Iroh gestured at the saddle. “When you are together, you are the perfect match. You will see what approaches and protect each other.”

Zuko frowned, “What do you mean?”

Sokka replied instead of Iroh. “Your left eye, his right. You can see each other’s blind spots.”

“Oh.”

Zuko was relatively quiet during their visit. Iroh closed the Jasmine Dragon and they brought their lunch to a nearby garden so that Druk could comfortably lie down. Zuko leaned against the dragon’s leg and sipped his tea, thinking. Sokka and Iroh didn’t press him and instead invested themselves in a heated discussion about the current economic situation in Ba Sing Se.

When it was time to leave, both men hugged Iroh tightly, and Iroh gave Druk one last kiss on the nose.

“Are you okay?” Sokka asked as they flew into the sunset toward the Fire Nation.

“We always have to be watching each other’s blind spots, don’t we?” Zuko said.

Sokka tightened his grip around his husband’s waist and placed his chin on Zuko’s shoulder. He didn’t reply. But Zuko knew what he was thinking.

Family meant love, happiness, and joy. But family also meant risk, stress, and worry. And you couldn’t have one without the other.

All they could do was take care of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know what you thought of this. Also, if you have any fic ideas that involve Druk, feel free to let me know. I love writing him.


End file.
